I. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to desks, and more specifically to a student desk having a pneumatically adjustable height and an improved locking mechanism.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Traditionally institutional as well as office and/or industrial environments stand-alone desks and workstations have been configured for limited end-use situations. For example, school desks are typically configured for use by seated students and have no height adjustment. Such desks generally limit the scope or use of such desks to a small range of age groups, requiring schools and institutions using such desks to carry large inventories of desks of differing sizes to accommodate varying sizes of students of different age groups.
Recent studies have suggested that student learning may be improved as a result of greater comfort and attention if the desk is configured such that the student can stand while using the desk. Stand-up learning might be particularly beneficial for students with excess energy or short attention spans, such as may be the case for those suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Additionally, it has been well documented that sitting for long periods of time, especially older people in office and/or industrial environments, is generally not good for one's health. Medical studies show that sitting increases the rate of all-cause mortality, especially from cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, for example. Therefore there exists a need to create an institutional and work environment that is ergonomic for someone standing as well as sitting, and allows the transition to be easy, quick, and simple.
Height adjustable tables enable different users to comfortably use the table notwithstanding differences in height. Additionally, height adjustable tables enable a user to vary the elevation of the table depending upon the activity being conducted.
It is well known in the art to provide a desk with a height adjustment feature for enabling the height of the worksurface to be adjusted relative to a supporting surface such as a floor. While there exists a plethora of means and methods by which to provide such adjustments, including pneumatic, crank and electric, they generally comprise complex components that are relatively expensive to produce. Therefore, there exists a need for a new and improved desk that includes an inexpensive and easily used adjustment and lock mechanism.
Accordingly, it is a general object of this disclosure to provide a cost effective and easy to use desk height adjustment and locking mechanism.
It is a more specific object of the present disclosure to provide a pneumatically height adjustable desk with a locking mechanism.
These and other objects, features and advantages of this disclosure will be clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.